Pensieri di un lunatico minore

Beans, beans, a magical fruit

OK, childish, but sometimes I get a bit wistfull for food of my childhood. Inspired by a homesick Texan, I decided to make a dinner of pinto beans (frijoles a la charra). The recipe I’ve always used is a bit different than hers, but they’re quite similar.

Frijoles a la charra

1lb	pinto beans, dried
2tsp	minced garlic
1	medium onion, diced
1/4lb	salt pork, cut into lardons1
4	bacon slices, in 1” pieces
14oz	whole tomatoes in juice, drained
2	chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

1. Rinse and sort beans
2. Allow the beans to soak overnight, or quick soak them by bringing them up to boil and then allowing to set for at least 90 minutes
3. Drain beans and set aside in collander
4. In heavy dutch oven, render down salt pork over medium heat.
5. Once rendered, add onion and cook for 1 minute, then add garlic and cook an additional 1 minute
6. Return beans to the dutch oven and cover with 5 cups of water.
7. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup of water at a time if needed to ensure the beans don’t dry out.
8. After about an hour beans should be almost tender enough to eat. If not tender enough, continue cooking, checking every 15 minutes.
9. In a small saute pan over medium heat, fry the bacon until crispy.
10. Add the minced chipotle and tomatoes, crushing in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
11. Transfer bacon, chipotle and tomato mixture to a blender and puree. Add to beans
12. Serve

Note that some people like to remove the salt pork, but not me. I find the texture, when cut into lardons, adds a lovely creamy addition to the beans. Serve with cornbread.

¹ A lardon is a strip about 1/4” wide, 1/4” thick and 1” long.